Dark Knights: The Fallen
by Krac
Summary: Bad things happen in Sunnydale-especially if you're a friend of the Slayer.


From: Krac  
  
Title: Dark Knights: The Fallen  
  
Series/Sequel: Possibly I haven't made up my mind.  
  
Author: Krac  
  
E-mail: krac_babee@l...  
  
Rating: R  
  
Summary: Bad things happen to good people. Close your eyes if you  
  
can't deal with it. Major amounts of death.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BTVS Characters, Joss Whedon, The  
  
WB and Mutant Enemy own them, etc, etc. I only own the story and any  
  
original characters I create along the way.  
  
Distribution: Ask me first.  
  
Feedback: Does Riley love cows? Hell yes!  
  
Spoilers: None I've ignored this season, Buffy gives me the heebie  
  
jeebies. I'd go so far to say I despise her so when she appears it  
  
won't be pretty.  
  
Author's Note: I was in a bad place so I started this. I don't know  
  
if I'll get to the squel but I have one planned.  
  
  
  
  
  
Dark Knights: The Fallen  
  
All he could feel was the soothing ache of tiredness in his bones as  
  
he walked down the street. The overwhelming fear, the wary alertness  
  
of his youth-they were long gone-and in their place was a growing  
  
sense of apathy. It had all meant something to him, fighting the  
  
good fight; doing whatever he could to keep the darkness at bay.  
  
Searching his mind and heart he tried to pinpoint the moment he  
  
simply stopped caring. He couldn't, that was a fact that frightened  
  
him more than anything the night could throw at him. In his mind he  
  
was only two steps and several bottles of cheap whiskey away from  
  
being his father.  
  
Shaking his head to clear that thought the young man snorted at his  
  
own flight of fancy; as if a man of flesh and blood could hold more  
  
horror than all the things he had witnessed lurking in the darkness.  
  
One thing whirled in his addled brain, They don't have souls-he  
  
does. The essential difference, the reason why he could never be  
  
free. If a vampire is nothing more than the sum of the demon within  
  
it-what was he? The screw up only child of an alcoholic, wife beater-  
  
the sum of the chromosomes his parents had `blessed' him with.  
  
The distant yowling of a cat interrupted his brooding and that dark  
  
place inside him surged with anger wanting to find the animal and  
  
wring it's neck. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, that dark  
  
place was getting stronger every day while the rest of him weakened.  
  
After almost six years he was too tired to fight it down any longer.  
  
He didn't hear the movement behind him in the shadows; or perhaps he  
  
could and did nothing. Hands grasped his head with shocking force.  
  
It only took seconds to decide fighting was useless. Conciously he  
  
tilted his neck-knowing full well what creature had claimed him. The  
  
pricking at his jugular was less painful then he had imagined, almost  
  
gentle. His body grew weak as the vampire fed from him, his eyes  
  
rose heavenwards towards the bright stars dotting the skies. But  
  
those cold specks of far off gas did nothing to help him, as he did  
  
nothing to help himself.  
  
A dark coppery taste filled his senses and the stars dimmed for a  
  
second before flaring into brightness beyond words. A smile creased  
  
his lips as he realized just what was happening to him. The dark  
  
part of himself was rushing up to meet the rest of him and it felt  
  
better than anything he had ever experienced. Alexander Harris met  
  
death with a smile on his face.  
  
******************  
  
Jerking upwards animation came back into the new vampire's limbs. A  
  
hunger unlike anything he had ever felt tore through every inch of  
  
him-but he felt so incredibly alive that he had to laugh.  
  
"What's so funny?" A sour voice called from near at hand.  
  
Sitting up he faced his `sire' and smiled darkly, "The irony that I  
  
feel more alive dead, than I ever did when I was alive."  
  
The older vampire shrugged his shoulders and shook his head at his  
  
newest progeny wondering why he had bothered to turn this one  
  
anyway. Standing up he felt uncomfortable, "I'm Doug. I brought  
  
something back for you. You're always hungriest when you first rise."  
  
Those dark eyes were riveted on Doug's back and he had to admit he  
  
had never felt afraid of one of his childer before. Something about  
  
this one was different, usually they spent days wailing-adjusting to  
  
their new life. Doug knew he had done so three years before when he  
  
had been taken. He still couldn't explain that rich, dark taste in  
  
this guy's blood; Doug didn't like it but couldn't stop himself from  
  
drinking more of it. Shaking off his thoughts Doug hauled the girl  
  
he had captured to her feet and dragged her to his offspring. He  
  
smiled as the girl walked almost willingly toward those dark  
  
eyes. "Bon apetit."  
  
A sardonic smile twisted the new vampire's lips as he held out a hand  
  
to the girl before him. Who, despite her quivering lip and ragged  
  
breathing seemed almost to desire her new fate. He could smell her  
  
fear and quickly decided that a woman could wear no finer perfume  
  
than sheer terror. Pulling her into his arms he embraced her frail  
  
human body; a whimper escaped her. The vampire kissed her lips  
  
gently to quiet her, "Don't worry, Little one. It won't hurt, ever  
  
again."  
  
Softly he moved his lips from her's, trailing his tongue seductively  
  
down her throat until it rested above her hammering pulse. He could  
  
feel his fangs grow as he shifted between his human face and his  
  
demonic visage, and in the next second they were buried in the girl's  
  
creamy skin. The first wave of blood hit his taste buds, sending a  
  
shudder of exultation through him rather than the disgust he had  
  
imagined feeling.  
  
Draining her body quickly he dropped the empty vessel to the ground  
  
while Doug stared wide-eyed. Recovering himself Doug smiled at his  
  
child, "Pretty smooth man. So you got a name?"  
  
Turning he measured the one who had brought him over with darkened  
  
eyes. It seemed appropriate that one so lowly should sire him,  
  
greatness had to start somewhere. Without hesitation he knew that  
  
the power surging in his veins along with the borrowed blood did not  
  
come from this creature. It-Doug-was merely a tool. The power came  
  
from him-the dark place he had ignored for so long.  
  
Quickly he moved, grasping Doug by the throat and bending his neck-  
  
forgoing the gentility he had shown the girl, he drained his sire.  
  
At first the older vampire offered a struggle but as his blood flowed  
  
into his child he grew weaker. Doug realized that he was dying  
  
again, and just like that first time nothing had changed. He was as  
  
helpless as the human he had watched die moments before. Pulling  
  
away the younger vampire smiled his fangs glistening with blood; "My  
  
name…is Alex."  
  
That was the last thing Doug heard before turning to dust in his  
  
child's gentle hands. Licking his lips, Alex shifted back to his  
  
human face and smiled at the dust covering his hands. Clapping  
  
sounded out of the shadows and he whirled, snarling toward it. "Very  
  
good, Alex. You just won me twenty bucks."  
  
He heard a match scrape and a flame illuminated a thin young woman's  
  
face as she lit her cigarette. Using his new strength Alex lunged at  
  
her and caught her by the throat in the same manner he had his sire.  
  
Lifting her hand over his arm she took a drag of the cigarette and  
  
smiled, "You don't want to eat me-I taste awful." A faint British  
  
accent tinted the words but before he could reply, her even features  
  
shifted revealing a set of raised horns, grey coloured skin and  
  
glowing green eyes.  
  
Letting go as if scalded Alex demanded warily, "What the hell are  
  
you?"  
  
Again the face returned to it's bland, forgettable appearance-one you  
  
could easily lose in a crowd. The eyes glowed for a spilt second  
  
then became a warm, mild brown. "Hell is right," she flicked her  
  
cigarette ashes on the ground to join the hapless Doug. "We've been  
  
watching you for years Alex, you always showed such stunning…" she  
  
stepped over the body of the girl, "Potential."  
  
"Potential for what?" Alex prowled feigning disinterest in the  
  
demon's message.  
  
Taking another drag of the ciggarette she smiled lightly as if  
  
explaining everything, "Destruction, dear boy."  
  
Alex shook his head, "Why is it that anyone with anything to do with  
  
the `supernatural' goes out of their way to be vague?"  
  
"Well to be less vague," She drawled and dropped the ciggarette on  
  
the ground and crushed it violently with her toes, "Destruction. The  
  
act of destroying all those warm fuzzy things humans enjoy so much,  
  
like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  
  
"Oh well, that explains everything so clearly thank you nameless  
  
demon for all your wisdom. If I need anymore of it I'll look you up  
  
under `indistinct information and useless facts'." Alex supressed  
  
his yawn.  
  
The little smile on her face grew fainter as she moved close to him.  
  
Before Alex could react the demon's hand darted out and grabbed him  
  
tightly by the testicles, "Your sarcasm is not appreciated at this  
  
point in time. I suggest that you put it away until it is actually  
  
required."  
  
Shifting slightly Alex smiled uncomfortably almost enjoying the  
  
pressure being applied to his groin, "They sure do teach you to be  
  
ball busters, don't they?"  
  
"No one had to teach me anything," she purred and moved closer to his  
  
body, "I've been around long enough to pick up a few tricks."  
  
Power shifted between them and despite the pain Alex spun her around,  
  
pulling her body close while placing both hands on her neck ready to  
  
break it if necessary, "Should I let you learn some more?"  
  
Her eyebrows rose, "Only a masochist would challenge me."  
  
"I've never really been into pain for pleasure," Alex breathed in her  
  
hair unable to decide if he should listen to the demon or kill her.  
  
"Pain is pleasure and pleasure is pain," her arms reached upwards and  
  
twisted Alex's back away from her body, "Live long enough and you'll  
  
know they are one and the same."  
  
Letting him go and moving away she straightened her shirt  
  
delicately, "Now if we're finished with the flirting, there's a bit  
  
of business to clear up here before you go on with your unlife."  
  
"All business already? You haven't even told me your name yet." Alex  
  
sauntered over to a chair and draped himself in it halfhazardly.  
  
"I haven't had a name in millennia. Naming something gives you power  
  
over it, makes that thing your own." She sighed and looked deep into  
  
his eyes, "I have been called Adesina," she fidgeted uncomfortably  
  
and looked down, "I always thought that it was pretty- not to mention  
  
appropreate."  
  
"Why is that?" Alex found the demon's discomfort endearing.  
  
"It means `the way is open for more'." She shook off the ghost of  
  
fraility, "In the beginning there were only higher beings. In due  
  
time one of those beings rebelled against the will of the being you  
  
think of as `God'. War ensued and those who rebelled with `Lucifer'  
  
were cast down to earth and punished-they became the first demons."  
  
"And how do you fit in? I am assuming you fit in if you're telling me  
  
all of this. I'd hate for it to be a wasted story." Alex sat up  
  
interested.  
  
She smiled, "I was the first to take Lucifer's side. Now for the part  
  
of the story involving you."  
  
Alex clapped his hands, "Always a good subject, talking about me."  
  
"As you are well aware people are sometimes chosen to fulfill a  
  
higher destiny like the slayer." Adesina ignored the flash of boredom  
  
on Alex's face; "Of course `God', believing in fairness and all both  
  
sides can have their chosen."  
  
"And this is the part where I lose interest and tell you to stuff  
  
the `higher destiny' bullshit, Des." The vampire unfolded himself and  
  
rose to his feet to tower over the demon, "I just want to enjoy my  
  
unlife, I've spent too many years of my life letting people tell me  
  
what to do and how to do it. That stops now, I just want to go about  
  
the business of wreaking havoc in the world without the burden of  
  
fate on my shoulders."  
  
Shouldering past Adesina, he walked toward the only door he could see  
  
leading out of the room. Alex placed his hand on the knob and tried  
  
to turn it but nothing happened. Jangling it forcefully Alex snarled  
  
at the uncooperative door then whirled on the demon behind him, "Let  
  
me out."  
  
"Not until I'm satisfied that you understand the opportunites being  
  
presented to you, Alex. This doesn't mean you have to take oders  
  
from anyone, in case you weren't listening I don't take well to  
  
authority either. All it means is that I help you wreak all the  
  
havoc you can handle in accordance with the bigger picture." Adesina  
  
cocked an eyebrow, "No strings."  
  
Alex glowered as he mulled it over in his mind, "No strings? No  
  
hidden agendas? No waiting until the last minute in things that  
  
affect me?"  
  
"I'm too old to play games," Adesina replied, "I said no strings, I  
  
meant it."  
  
Teeth flashed as Alex offered her a blinding smile, "Good, I don't  
  
like bondage. We'll give this a try."  
  
"Too bad." A smile quirked Adesina's lip, "So, tell me where you'd  
  
like to start, the Hellmouth is your oyster."  
  
A frown creased his forehead; "A soul…When Buffy and Willow find out  
  
they'll try to restore my soul. That has to be stopped. I really  
  
don't want to spend eternity moping like Angel. So I guess we kill,  
  
Willow so she can't cast the spell."  
  
"Already thought of that," the demon reached into her coat pocket and  
  
drew a glass orb from it, "Do you know what this is?"  
  
Alex's eyes lit, "An orb of Thessila."  
  
"Actually," Adesina grinned looking distinctly human, "It's one of  
  
the only two orbs of Thessila left."  
  
Alex casually walked to Adesina and plucked the orb from her hands.  
  
He stared at it for a few brief seconds, then let it drop to the  
  
floor. Glass shattered at their feet and Alex ground one of the  
  
bigger pieces into dust under his heel. "Oops."  
  
"Now, anything else?" the demon breathed shifting closer to the  
  
vampire.  
  
A dark grin creased his features; "I've got one or two ideas."  
  
**************  
  
Shadows nipping at her heels Dawn pulled her sweater closer to her  
  
body. She knew better, Buffy had reproached her many a time about  
  
walking home alone after dark. Despite everything she had seen and  
  
expericened, Dawn still possessed the sense of invincibility native  
  
to the young.  
  
Lifting her head Dawn widened her eyes to admire the bright sky above  
  
her, never had the stars appeared so full and clear to her eyes. A  
  
hand clamped over her mouth before she could move her thoughts any  
  
further. She felt a prick at her neck, then Dawn's whole world  
  
turned black as she fell. 


End file.
